A Truth or a Rumor: Effects of Addictive Substances on Prevention of COVID-19; an Investigation of Homeless Drug Abusers in Southeastern Iran

In a crisis, rumors often get started, and societies use them to cope with ambiguous situations. Southeastern Iran, with its high rate of homeless addicts per population, is a suitable area to examine the accuracy of the rumor about the positive effect of addictive substances on preventing COVID-19.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the abundance of COVID-19 infection among homeless drug abusers in this area.

For each participant, the health experts completed a questionnaire including demographic characteristics,symptoms and type, frequency and methods of drug abuse. For a definite diagnosis of COVID-19, a combined oropharyngeal/nasal sampling method was used in the laboratory under standard polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data was analyzed with SPSS v. 19. The chi-square test was used to compare COVID-19 cases across substance types, abuse methods, and consumption frequencies.

In total, 295 homeless drug abusers participated, and positive COVID-19 was recorded for 21(7.1%). Most participants were waste pickers (60.5%), and 3.9% had COVID-19. The statistical analysis showed no significant difference in the number of positive COVID-19 cases between narcotics, stimulants, and both combinations. Our study also did not prove the positive effect of drug abuse methods and the frequency of daily drug abuse on the incidence of this disease.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, unreliable, incorrect, and incomplete information on its prevention spread in societies. It is recommended that health-related rumors be investigated and officials publicly announce the results.